George rice



(No Model.)

G. RICE.

SALT DRIER. No. 263,584. Patented Aug. 29, 1882.

ilnrrno ST TES PATENT Greece- GEORGE RICE, OF GODERIOH, ONTARIO, CANADA.

SALT-DRIER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 263,584, dated August 29, 1882. Application filed May 8, 1882. (No model.)

I 0 all whom it may concern Be it known that I, GEORGE RICE, of the town of Goderich, in the county of Huron and Province of Ontario, Canada, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Salt- Driers; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description of the same.

My invention has reference to apparatus used for finally expelling moisture from any chemical salt crystallized from mother-liquids, and, although primarily intended for operating on common salt (chloride of sodium) as made by evaporating brine, will be found useful in drying similar small and hard particles-such as drugs and chemicals-or grains-such as oats, wheat, Indian corn, &c.as it provides means by which this may be done more quickly, economically, and effectually than heretofore, and at a sufn'cient low temperature to avoid all possibility of carbonizing-i. 'e., charring-organic matter, this latter being a point of great importance in drying many substances.

The invention may be described as consisting of one or more cylinders geared together and supported in a suitable frame, each cylinder being formed by stretching canvas (or any other material to suit the article to be dried) over the outer edges of any desired number of longitudinal bars or boards of suitable thickness and width, carried on the outer ends of arms radiating from a central shaft or spindle projecting beyond the ends of the cylinder so far as to be carried in the frame, and having a gear-wheel mounted thereon, preferably at the front end.

To the above longitudinal bars or boards attached to the ends of the radiating arms are fastened on their inner edge similar boards, thus forming a series of compartments round the periphery of the cylinders. These inner boards are of such width and secured to the longitudinals at such an angle that while affording in each compartment an opening the whole length of the cylinder quite sutlicient to secure free ingress of hot dry air and equally free egress of the same air when saturated with moisture, they yet practically confine the material being dried to the compartment into which it was originally fed, in whatever position this may be during the whole time that it is under treatment in the cylinders. By thus confining the material to be dried in its own compartment the object is gained of not only placing a larger quantity under the drying influences of the blast of hot air passing through, but the cylinder or cylinders, being always perfectly balanced, require very little power to rotate them when full, and no strain occurs in doing so.

The material to be dried is fed into the rear and higher end of such cylinders through any suitable hopper and spout-,and gradually passes through and out of the front and lower end of whatever compartment it may fall into simply by its own gravity and the tendency to slide into the lowest point as'tlie cylinder-revolves, being met during its whole passage through by a counter-current of hot air, and the time of its passage being regulated by the speed at which the cylinders revolve, or preferably by raising or lowering the front end of the frame carrying them by suitable screws or other convenient means.

With the object of diverting the currentot' hot airinto the compartments and more effectuallyincreasing its circulation through and over the substance being dried, rather than through the central portion of the cylinder, small slats are placed at the entrance with the small end secured to the centralshaft, and the wider ends, sloping backward and outward, are fastened to the radial arms-one to each arm or compartment-each one being of such width and placed at such an angle as will best turn the current of hot air into the compartments.

Bythe apparatus just described the material being dried is kept in continuous gentle motion simply by its own gravity in seeking the lowest point it can reach as the cylinder revolves, from this cause occupying successively each of the four sides of its own cotnpartment during each and every revolution. This gentle sliding motion, while continuously exposing fresh particles of material to the current of hot air under the most favorable conditions, has the further advantage of not only preventing its aggregation into hard lumps, but keeps it in a perfectly loose and pulverulent state.

For full comprehension, however, of the invention reference must be'llad to the annexed drawings, forming part of this specification, in which Figure 1 is a transverse sectional elevation of a cylinder, looking toward the front; Fig. 2, a longitudinal sectional elevation, and Fig. 3 a perspective view with the front end removed.

Similar letters of reference indicate like parts.

A is the shaft, having secured in its ends iron gudgeons A, carried in proper bearings, on one of which is secured the gear B, through which A is rotated.

C G are arms radiating from the shaft A, to the outer ends of which are secured, as shown in Figs. 1 and 3, longitudinal boards or divisions D of any width desired, over the outside edges of which is stretched canvas in one or more thicknesses, as shown at E. Other material may be substituted for canvas to suit the requirements of the substance to be dried.

F F are boards secured to the edges of the boards D at the exact angle thereto,and with such projection on either side as the material to be treated may require, thus forming a series of compartments round the drying-cylinder, as shown at G G.

H H are the ends of the cylinder, arranged so as to admit at the rear end of the introduction of the salt or other material to be treated, which is fed through a pipe, K, connected with any suitable hopper or receptacle in which it is stored, and at the front of a current of hot air forced in through the pipe L. In the front end, H,of the cylinder are formed openings hone to each compartmentthrough which the material passes out from the cylinder.

M M are slats or wings secured on the main shalt A at or near the front end of the cylinder, and sloping backward,so as to divert the hot air forced into the cylinder into the compartments G G.

Although the shaft A, with its radial arms C O, is usually formed of wood, these, with the gudgeons A A, on which it is carried,may be of cast-iron or other suitable material.

The operation of my invention is as follows: The cylinder A, which is inclined at any suitable angle, by the means previously mentioned, from the feed to the delivery end,is rotated at the desired rate of speed by any power, a hot blast being at the same time turned in at the delivery end. The salt or other material is then allowed to pass down through the pipe K into the cylinder, falling directlyinto those of the compartments G which are at the moment at the lower side. Each compartment,

as it reaches and passes the lowest point, thus receives a small portion of the material, which, by the time a full revolution has been made, has slid over in turn each of the four faces of the compartment and sufficiently forward to make room for the portion it will again receive on reaching the proper position at the lowest point under the spout. To attain this the boards must be set at an angle, varying more or less from a right angle, according to the moisture contained in the material, so as to secure its being caught by the shorter and lower lip when slidingofl" the wider and higher one, and prevent it from falling directly to the lower side of the cylinder.

It will thus be seen that each compartment is always ready to receive a fresh supply after each revolution, the salt or other material having, during that time, moved sufficiently forward and downward.

The salt or other material from one or more cylinders on arriving at the lower end passes out through the opening it, thence falling preferably into a long hopper or spout common to them all, and being conducted preferably to a machine which will separate it into any desired number of grades, throwing out all small lumps and pieces of panscale, &c.; or it may be run directly into packages or kept in bulk without further treatment.

What I claim is as follows:

1. A drying apparatus composed of a single rotating cylinder set in an inclined position, and having formed on the inside of its periphery comparti'nents, each eommunicatin g with the interior and having a separate outlet through the head, all substantially as herein described, and for the purposes set forth.

2. The combination, with the shaft A, of arms G and boards D and F, all contained within the cylinder, as and for the purposes set forth.

3. In a drying apparatus, the combination, with a revolving single cylinder provided with inside compartments communicating with interior, of a blast-pipe discharging into cylinder at one end, all as herein set forth, and for the purposes described.

4. In combination with a revolving cylinder furnished with internal compartments, slats M, mounted on the shaft A, as and for the purposes described.

Goderich, May 2, A. D. 1882.

GEORGE RICE.

Witnesses:

JAMES STOREY, ROBERT A. STARKS. 

